The present invention comprises a ganged fire extinguisher system, wherein discreet fire extinguishers are connected together for simultaneous operation in response to a signal from a fire detection device.
Individual fire extinguishers used for extinguishing fires in an enclosure are usually limited in capacity to enclosures having a maximum size of about 1500 cubic feet. Such pre-engineered fire extinguishing systems can be used, for example, in an engine room in a boat. The size limitations of pre-engineered systems usually restrict the fire extinguishing systems to use in boats that do not exceed about 60 or 70 feet in length.
For enclosures that cannot be serviced by a single fire extinguisher, it is generally necessary to have what is known as a “piped” or “engineered” system wherein a custom fire extinguishing system is incorporated into the enclosure by means of pipes and nozzles that are fed by a single external source of fire extinguishing chemical. Such systems are very expensive and are substantially more expensive and more expensive to install than pre-engineered systems. For enclosures that are somewhat larger than the maximum enclosure size for a pre-engineered system (such as 1500-3000 cubic feet, for example) there is no cost effective solution.
One of the problems with developing a pre-engineered system employing multiple fire extinguishers for an enclosure larger than 1500 cubic feet is that simultaneous actuation is essential but Coast Guard regulations do not permit the use of electrical actuators (devices that generate sparks cannot be used where flammable gases may be present). Simultaneous actuation of separate fire extinguishers is a challenge using other types of actuation systems.
An object of the present invention is to provide a ganged fire extinguisher system wherein discreet extinguishers can be simultaneously actuated by non-electrical actuators.